Sustainable outdoor accessories for men

When a company names its rucksacks, holdalls and wash bags after its best friends you might suspect it will have friendly eco credentials to match.

BY Jessica Salter |
28 March 2011

Mark Stainton with Mark the field bag

Millican's Mark the field bag

Dave the rucksack

Derek the water bottle holder

Design and sustainability go hand in hand at Millican, the travel and outdoor lifestyle brand, where Stewart the courier bag is made from 100 per cent organic cotton, and the insulating wool in Derek the drinks cooler comes from Herdwick sheep in the Lake District.

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'We design our products to look timeless so they are not susceptible to trends,' says Jorrit Jorritsma, who co-founded the company with his wife, Nicky Forbes, in 2008, 'and at every step in the chain we make sure we're making the best environmental choices.'

The rapid growth of the business (turnover last year was £165,000 and is expected to be £300,000 this year) has meant Jorritsma works the same hours as he did when he was the managing director of the accessories brand Kangol, in Nottingham. But since moving to the Lake District he now spends his days in a shed at the bottom of the garden with Forbes, testing out the kit on twice-daily walks and seeing more of his daughter, Kiah, 12.

In spring Millican will be adding a new colour range to its current 17 products, which are stocked by 27 retailers, including Selfridges in London, and will be rolling out another six products this summer.

'The friends with bags named after them compete over which bag sells the best,' Jorritsma laughs. 'It is currently Mark, the field bag, which the real Mark [pictured outside his shop in Keswick] is not shy about telling everyone' (0845-653 2060;
homeofmillican.com
).